Tube cleaner



w. T. HAMILTON TUB E CLEANER Filed May 8, 1939 May 6, 1941.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (Ittorneg s TUBE CLEANER Filed May 8, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 2 L T y l'mnenfor (Ittomegs Patented May 6, 1941 TUBECLEANER Walter T. Hamilton, Springfield, Ohio, assignor to The AiretoolMfg. Company, Springfield, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application May 8, 1939, Serial No. 272,308

(Cl. 1510d.14)

Claims.

This invention relates to rotary tube cleaners of the motor driven typefor removing deposits from the inside of boiler tubes and the likeemploying outwardly moving cutters, the shafts or supporting pins forwhich are mounted in suitable bearings.

An object of this invention is to provide a separate wear plate havingbearings for the cutter shafts and remcvably mounted in the outer shellor cage so as to be readily removed when worn and a new plate installed.

A further object of the invention in connection with said removable wearplate is to provide interengaging parts between said plate and cage orsupport to prevent displacement in operation.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tube cleaner embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a view of the inner end of the same with the cutter shaftretainer removed.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the outer end of the cleaner showing theremovable wear plate partially in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1, but showing the wear platebeing removed or installed.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the removable wear plate.

Fig. 7 is a side View of the removable wear plate.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section showing a modification.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the modified form with the cutters andtheir shaft-s and the retaining, device removed.

Fig. 10 is a view in elevation of the inner end of the parts shown inFig. 9.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, the outer casing or cage of thecleaner consists of a forward head I, arear head 2 and an intermediatepartition wall 3. These parts I, 2 and 3 are integrally connectedtogether with longitudinally extending ribs or spokes 4.

The cage thus formed houses rotary cutters 5 which may be eitherrotatably or non-rotatably mounted with respect to shafts 3. The rearends of these shafts 6 are mounted in radially-extendeach slot areinclined from front to rear so as to stand at right-angles to thelongitudinal axis of the corresponding shaft 6 as shown by therelationship of the center lines in Fig. 1, H representing the centerline of the tool head and 17-h representing the center line of thecutters and their pins. The teeth of the cutters are thus arranged at anangle to the longitudinal axis of the tool so that the cutters Will havea self-feeding action which brings the thrust of the rear cuttersagainst the removable wear plate and the thrust of the forward cuttersagainst the wall I. The wear plate has shouldered portions 9 which seatagainst shoulders 3 upon the wall 3 so that the wear plate is heldpositively against displacement or forward movement in operation. Oneportion of the intermediate wall 3 is cut away as shown at It tofacilitate the insertion and removal of the wear plate. It will benoticed that in the present case this wear plate 9 is in the form ofthree wings and when it is desired to install a wear plate it isinserted into the cage in a sidewise direction so that two of the wingswill be in the portion of the cage between the bearing seat 3' on thewall 3 and the head 2 and one of the wings between the seat 3' and thehead I after which the plate may be tilted so that the wing which isbetween the head I and wall 3 will pass through the cutaway portion ofwall 3 after which the plate may be straightened up and seated againstthe wall 3. In removing a worn plate the operation is reversed.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 there is shown a modification in which the cuttershafts indicated at B are mounted in slotted openings II in a removablebushing [2. The parts in the modified view are otherwise the same andare given the same reference characters with the addition of primemarks.

In either one of these constructions when the wear plate is in positionon the seat, the shoulders of the wear plate and the seat firmly abuteach other so as to positively prevent any forward movement of theremovable wear plate.

There is a multiplicity of cutters on each shaft or pin 6. The front endof the cutters is in the space between the intermediate wall 3 and thefront wall I, the other cutter or cutters being located in the spacebetween the intermediate wall 3 and the rear wall 2. Three of theseoutters for each shaft or pin are illustrated in the drawings. The frontcutters on each pin are made slightly tapered to enter into the tube tobe cleaned. All cutters are also preferably provided with teeth orserrations and the cutters,

as before described are arranged at an angle to the axis of rotation sothat when the cleaner is entered into a tube with the cutters of eachpair contacting with the scale or other foreign substance to be removedthe rotation of the cleaner with its cutters will tend to draw thecleaner into the tube making an automatic or self feed.

The pins or shafts 6 are also preferably slightly shorter than the totaldistance from the outer side of the head 2 to the end of the frontcutter of its pair so that the end of the pin does not contact with thehead I but the ends of the cutter maycontact with the insides of therespective walls so that as the cleaner is drawn in by the rotation ofthe cutters or is withdrawn by the extended tube or hose which suppliesthe motor, not shown, it will bring the thrust between the outer end ofthe cutters and their respective walls in a forward direction.

In assembling the parts of the cleaner the wear plate 9 is firstinserted in the cage and seated in the intermediate wall 3 as set forth.A pair of cutters are in their proper positions and a pin or shaft 6 isthen inserted through an opening in the rear head 2 passing through therear cutters and the bearing in the wear plate and then through thefront cutter of the pair. This operation is repeated for each pair ofcutters and a flanged collar !a screwed on the threaded stem l5 on thehead 2 is arranged to cover the opening and prevent the pins or shaftsfrom moving longitudinally backwardly through the head 2.

The pin or shaft which supports the cutters are what is termed afloating type, that is, in operation with the pressure on the cuttersthe pins will be normally turned or rotated by the cutters in therespective bearings in the wear plate and in the rear head althoughunder certain conditions the cutters may turn on the shaft.

Since there is no bearing or support for the pins at their extremeforward end the greatest wear on the bearing for the pins will occur onthe wear plate 9 in the intermediate wall 3 so that by having this wearplate removable and replaceable the life of the cleaner will bematerially extended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage, shafts mounted in said cage, rotarycutter elements mounted on said shafts, elongated fixed bearings at therear end of said cage for said shafts, and a forward bearing in saidcage arranged intermediate the ends thereof having elongated openingsfor said shafts, said forward bearing being removably mounted in saidcage, and interengaging shoulders between said forward bearing and cageto prevent displacement of said forward bearing in a forward direction.

2. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage, shafts mounted in said cage, rotarycutter elements mounted on said shafts, elongated fixed bearings at therear end of said cage for said shafts, a

forward bearing having elongated openings for said shafts, seats on saidcage intermediate the ends thereof against which said forward bearing isremovably positioned, said forward bearing being formed of a pluralityof wings, two of which when the forward bearing is to be inserted arepositioned fiatwise in the space between the rear bearing and said seatand the other wing between the seat and the forward end of the cage,said seat having an opening of sufficient width to permit the lastmentioned wing to be tilted therethrough so that the entire forwardbearing may be positioned in the space between the rear bearing and theseat, the seat for said forward bearing being constructed to preventdisplacement of said forward bearing in a forward direction whenpositioned thereon.

3. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage having front and rear fixed headsand an intermediate wall between said heads, a series of shafts eachhaving a bearing seat in the rear wall and a removable wear plate in theintermediate wall having bearings for said shafts, a plurality ofcutters mounted on each shaft, the front cutter of each series beinglocated between the front head and the intermediate removable wearplate, teeth or serrations on the cutters, the cutters of each seriesbeing arranged at an angle to the aXis of rotation to cause the cleanerto advance in a tube, and interengaglng parts between the removable wearplate and the intermediate wall to receive the thrust of the cutters asthey are advanced into or removed from the tube into which they'areinserted.

4. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage having a fixed rear Wall, said wallhaving associated therewith a plurality of substantiallyradially-extending slots, intermediate seats formed on the interior ofsaid cage, a removable wear plate adapted to bear upon said seats toconfine said plate against forward movement, said wear plate havingslots which extend substantially in a radial direction, removable shaftscarried in the slots of, said rear wall and said seat, and cuttersmounted upon said shafts.

5. In a rotary tube cleaner, a cage having a fixed rear wall, said wallhaving associated therewith a plurality of substantially radiallyextending slots, a plurality of pairs of intermediate fixed seatscarried by the interior of said cage, a removable wear plate, saidremovable wear plate comprising a plurality of radially extending armsadapted to bear upon said seats to confine said plate and arms againstforward movement, at leastone pair of said seats being formed to permitthe passage of one of said arms therethrough to allow said Wear plate tobe installed or removed, each arm having a slot which extendssubstantially in a radial direction, removable shafts carried in theslots of said' rear wall and saidarms, and cutters mounted upon saidshafts.

WALTER T. HAMILTON.

